In the past month the Otago/Southland Interschool Teams' Championships took place in Dunedin. A total of 30 teams came from as far afield as Invercargill and Oamaru, though the weather prevented Central Otago teams from competing.
The top places in each grade were Primary: 1st Enrich@ILT 1, 2nd George Street Normal School, 3rd Maori Hill. Intermediate: 1st Balmacewen 1, 2nd Dunedin North Intermediate 1, 3rd Oamaru Intermediate A. Secondary: 1st Otago Boys' High School A, 2nd Otago Boys' High School B, 3rd John McGlashan College A.
Because the rapid time limit meant games could not be recorded, today's game is from the 27th Summer Universiade, just finished in Kazan, Russia. Students from all over the world competed in 27 sports from athletics to rugby sevens, with chess taking its place among them. The winner was one of the strongest junior players in the world, 19 year old GM Wesley So of the Philippines. He has the white pieces against IM Mari Jurcik of Slovakia.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 ---
The old classical variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined was out of favour for much of the last century, with sharper Bg5 lines seen as more promising for White. However, the middlegames reached are still rich with possibilities. 5.--- 0-0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Be2 c5
In response to White's quiet approach, championed at the top level by Aronian, Black decides to accept an isolated d-pawn rather than exchange it with 7... dxc4. 8.cxd5 exd5 9.dxc5 Nxc5 10.0-0 Be6 11.Rc1 Qb6 12.Nb5!? Ne8
Defending against the threatened 13 Bc7 harrassing the queen, and also threatening to win the b2 pawn after 13...a6. Black prefers this retreat to 12... Rac8!? 13 Bc7! Rxc7 14 Nxc7 Qxc7 15 b4 b6 16 bxc5 bxc5, when he has reasonable compensation for the loss of the exchange. 13.Be5 a6 14.Nc3 Nf6
Suicidal would be 14... Qxb2? 15 Nxd5! winning a piece. But the text allows White to embark on a forcing sequence leading to a positional advantage. More cirmcumspect was 14... Rd8 bolstering the d-pawn. 15.Bxf6! Bxf6 16.Nxd5 Bxd5 17.Qxd5 Qxb2 18.Rfe1 Na4!
The only way to maintain material equality in the face of the threat of 19 Rb1. 19.Rb1 Qc2 20.Rxb7 Nc3 21.Bd3 Qxf2+!
This desperado regains the lost pawn. 22.Kxf2 Nxd5 23.Bc4! Nc3?!
Although this stops 24 Rd1 with ideas of doubling rooks on the seventh rank, it place the knight in a poor postion against the advance of the e-pawn. The alternative 23...Ne7! was correct, when either 24 e4 Nc6! (threatening 25...Na5) 25 Rd7 Ne5 26 Nxe5 Bxe5 or 25 Rd1 Rfc8! 26 Be2 (26 Rdd7 Nd8! secures f7) Ne5! 27 Nxe5 Bxe5 both firmly blockade the pawn and offer drawing chances in the ending. 24.e4! Rae8
There was a chance was to recycle the offside knight by 24...Na4!? when 25 e5?! Nc5! 26 Rc7 Bd8! takes advantage of the unfortunate position of the white king to reorganise the black pieces, but 25 Kf1! Nc5 26 Rc7 Ne6 27 Bxe6! fxe6 28 e5 keeps White's advantage. 25.e5 Be7
Or 25...Bd8 26 Rb3! Na4 27 Bxa6 winning the a-pawn, since 26...Nxa2?? 27 Ra1 loses the knight. White now places the king on a safe square in preparation for the triumphal march of the e-pawn. 26.Kf1! a5 27.e6 f6
If 27... fxe6? then 28 Bxe6+ Kh8 29 Bd7! wins a a whole piece. White now plays a finely calculated line leading to a winning endgame, though 28 Re3! Na4 29 Nd4! Nc5 30 Ra7 f5 31 Nc6 was the most efficient win. 28.Rc1 Ne4 29.Bb5! Nd6 30.Bxe8 Nxb7 31.Bf7+ Rxf7
Else 31...Kh8 32 Rc7 forking knight and bishop. The rest is easy. 32.exf7+ Kxf7 33.Rc7 Nd6 34.Nd4 Ke8 35.Nc6 Bf8 36.Nxa5 Nb5 37.Rc8+ Kf7 38.a4 Resigns
Otago/Southland Interschool championships
Problem: Black to play and mate in 3.
In the past month the Otago/Southland Interschool Teams' Championships took place in Dunedin. A total of 30 teams came from as far afield as Invercargill and Oamaru, though the weather prevented Central Otago teams from competing.
The top places in each grade were Primary: 1st Enrich@ILT 1, 2nd George Street Normal School, 3rd Maori Hill. Intermediate: 1st Balmacewen 1, 2nd Dunedin North Intermediate 1, 3rd Oamaru Intermediate A. Secondary: 1st Otago Boys' High School A, 2nd Otago Boys' High School B, 3rd John McGlashan College A.
Because the rapid time limit meant games could not be recorded, today's game is from the 27th Summer Universiade, just finished in Kazan, Russia. Students from all over the world competed in 27 sports from athletics to rugby sevens, with chess taking its place among them. The winner was one of the strongest junior players in the world, 19 year old GM Wesley So of the Philippines. He has the white pieces against IM Mari Jurcik of Slovakia.
1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 e6
3.Nf3 d5
4.Nc3 Be7
5.Bf4 ---
The old classical variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined was out of favour for much of the last century, with sharper Bg5 lines seen as more promising for White. However, the middlegames reached are still rich with possibilities.
5.--- 0-0
6.e3 Nbd7
7.Be2 c5
In response to White's quiet approach, championed at the top level by Aronian, Black decides to accept an isolated d-pawn rather than exchange it with 7... dxc4.
8.cxd5 exd5
9.dxc5 Nxc5
10.0-0 Be6
11.Rc1 Qb6
12.Nb5!? Ne8
Defending against the threatened 13 Bc7 harrassing the queen, and also threatening to win the b2 pawn after 13...a6. Black prefers this retreat to 12... Rac8!? 13 Bc7! Rxc7 14 Nxc7 Qxc7 15 b4 b6 16 bxc5 bxc5, when he has reasonable compensation for the loss of the exchange.
13.Be5 a6
14.Nc3 Nf6
Suicidal would be 14... Qxb2? 15 Nxd5! winning a piece. But the text allows White to embark on a forcing sequence leading to a positional advantage. More cirmcumspect was 14... Rd8 bolstering the d-pawn.
15.Bxf6! Bxf6
16.Nxd5 Bxd5
17.Qxd5 Qxb2
18.Rfe1 Na4!
The only way to maintain material equality in the face of the threat of 19 Rb1.
19.Rb1 Qc2
20.Rxb7 Nc3
21.Bd3 Qxf2+!
This desperado regains the lost pawn.
22.Kxf2 Nxd5
23.Bc4! Nc3?!
Although this stops 24 Rd1 with ideas of doubling rooks on the seventh rank, it place the knight in a poor postion against the advance of the e-pawn. The alternative 23...Ne7! was correct, when either 24 e4 Nc6! (threatening 25...Na5) 25 Rd7 Ne5 26 Nxe5 Bxe5 or 25 Rd1 Rfc8! 26 Be2 (26 Rdd7 Nd8! secures f7) Ne5! 27 Nxe5 Bxe5 both firmly blockade the pawn and offer drawing chances in the ending.
24.e4! Rae8
There was a chance was to recycle the offside knight by 24...Na4!? when 25 e5?! Nc5! 26 Rc7 Bd8! takes advantage of the unfortunate position of the white king to reorganise the black pieces, but 25 Kf1! Nc5 26 Rc7 Ne6 27 Bxe6! fxe6 28 e5 keeps White's advantage.
25.e5 Be7
Or 25...Bd8 26 Rb3! Na4 27 Bxa6 winning the a-pawn, since 26...Nxa2?? 27 Ra1 loses the knight. White now places the king on a safe square in preparation for the triumphal march of the e-pawn.
26.Kf1! a5
27.e6 f6
If 27... fxe6? then 28 Bxe6+ Kh8 29 Bd7! wins a a whole piece. White now plays a finely calculated line leading to a winning endgame, though 28 Re3! Na4 29 Nd4! Nc5 30 Ra7 f5 31 Nc6 was the most efficient win.
28.Rc1 Ne4
29.Bb5! Nd6
30.Bxe8 Nxb7
31.Bf7+ Rxf7
Else 31...Kh8 32 Rc7 forking knight and bishop. The rest is easy.
32.exf7+ Kxf7
33.Rc7 Nd6
34.Nd4 Ke8
35.Nc6 Bf8
36.Nxa5 Nb5
37.Rc8+ Kf7
38.a4 Resigns
1-0
Solution: 1 ... Rf4+! 2 Kxg5 (2 Kh3 Rh4#) 2 ... Bb6! and 3... Bd8#.